Nebraska Department of Education

This comprehensive review examines the synergistic integration of climate mitigation strategies and circular economy (CE) principles as a pathway toward achieving global carbon neutrality. While traditional mitigation measures such as renewable energy adoption, carbon capture, and efficiency improvement are vital, they remain insufficient without systemic transformation across economic and industrial sectors. CE practices, including resource efficiency, waste valorization, product life extension, and recycling, offer complementary solutions that decouple economic growth from environmental degradation. This study synthesizes interdisciplinary insights on how CE principles enhance the effectiveness of renewable energy systems, industrial decarbonization, and waste reduction. It also highlights regional disparities, policy barriers, and opportunities for cross-sectoral innovation. Through an extensive review of international carbon neutrality initiatives and sectoral case studies, the paper identifies the multidimensional impacts of CE integration spanning reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, improvements in resource productivity, and strengthened socio-economic resilience. The findings underscore that achieving carbon neutrality requires a unified framework combining technological, economic, and policy measures that prioritize sustainability transitions. Ultimately, the study contributes a holistic perspective on leveraging CE-driven innovation to accelerate climate action and establish a sustainable, low-carbon global economy. • Integrating circular economy enhances climate mitigation effectiveness. • Renewable energy and CE synergy accelerates global carbon neutrality. • Resource efficiency reduces emissions and supports sustainable growth. • Policy and financial frameworks are crucial for CE implementation. • CE-driven innovation fosters resilience in low-carbon economic systems.

Inland communities face escalating flood risks as residential development continues within regulatory floodplains, Douglas, and Sarpy Counties in eastern Nebraska, an area heavily impacted by the 2019 Midwest floods. We develop a geospatial artificial intelligence (Geo-AI) framework integrating bi-temporal National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery, parcel-level assessment data, building footprints, and flood hazard maps, and apply a Siamese U-Net deep learning model to detect new, demolished, and existing residential structures. Results show a substantial increase in floodplain exposure, with over 2,250 new residential buildings constructed more than 21 times the number of demolitions primarily in high-assessed-value areas, while removals are concentrated in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The model achieved 98% overall accuracy, demonstrating strong capability for detecting building-scale change. These findings highlight growing inequities in flood-risk exposure and demonstrate the value of Geo-AI for spatially explicit flood-risk monitoring, risk-informed planning, and equitable land-use policy development.

ABSTRACT This study presents large deformation computational methods to simulate lateral vehicular impacts on steel piles in granular soil. Soil‐mounted longitudinal barrier systems rely on energy dissipation in both the piles and the surrounding soil to safely redirect errant vehicles, so dynamic pile‐soil interaction is important for design. Conventional Updated Lagrangian finite element methods suffer from mesh distortion at large strains, which limits their use for simulating these impact events. To address this, Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) and Element‐Free Galerkin (EFG) formulations are coupled with finite elements to form hybrid SPH+FEM and EFG+FEM models that represent large soil deformations. The models are applied to full‐scale bogie impact tests on laterally loaded steel piles and are validated against measured energy, impulse‐time histories, and resistive force‐displacement responses. Both hybrid models reproduce the main pile behaviors, including rotation, bending, and yielding, and they capture the change in soil response from stiff resistance at small displacements to more fluid flow at large displacements. Displacement‐averaged forces and total energy are predicted within 5% to 15% of test results. The SPH+FEM model provides a more detailed description of local soil failure, whereas the EFG+FEM model was more efficient for predicting the overall system response. Because full‐scale crash tests are expensive and difficult to repeat, these validated hybrid models offer a practical tool for the design and optimization of piles in soil‐embedded barrier systems and support more reliable roadside safety design based on numerical analysis.

Abstract In this article, Lauren Gatti and Paula McAvoy explain the interdisciplinary methods that they used for developing a theory of professional judgment for teachers that they call the Ethical Long View. In developing the theory, they engaged in empirical inquiry through the solicitation of dilemmas from practicing teachers using an online survey (N = 127) and follow‐up interviews with a subset of survey participants (N = 11). The interviews were developed into qualitative normative cases, which are richly described vignettes of a teacher's dilemma and thinking. In between analyzing the survey data and developing the cases was a philosophically oriented recursive process that was both iterative and interdisciplinary. The qualitative work helped the authors develop the conceptual framework for the Ethical Long View and, at the same time, positioned participants as co‐constructors of the ethical theory. This research draws on the tools of both applied philosophy and social science, but it belongs exclusively to neither.

Demand for sustainably produced biomass is expected to increase with the need to provide renewable commodities, improve resource security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with COP26 commitments. Studies have demonstrated additional environmental benefits of using perennial biomass crops (PBCs), when produced appropriately, as a feedstock for the growing bioeconomy, including utilisation for bioenergy (with or without carbon capture and storage). PBCs can potentially contribute to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (2023-27) objectives provided they are carefully integrated into farming systems and landscapes. Despite significant research and development (R&D) investment over decades in herbaceous and coppiced woody PBCs, deployment has largely stagnated due to social, economic and policy uncertainties. This paper identifies the challenges in creating policies that are acceptable to all actors. Development will need to be informed by measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) of greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other environmental, economic and social metrics. It discusses interlinked issues that must be considered in the expansion of PBC production: (i) available land; (ii) yield potential; (iii) integration into farming systems; (iv) R&D requirements; (v) utilisation options; and (vi) market systems and the socio-economic environment. It makes policy recommendations that would enable greater PBC deployment: (1) incentivise farmers and land managers through specific policy measures, including carbon pricing, to allocate their less productive and less profitable land for uses which deliver demonstrable greenhouse gas reductions; (2) enable greenhouse gas mitigation markets to develop and offer secure contracts for commercial developers of verifiable low-carbon bioenergy and bioproducts; (3) support innovation in biomass utilisation value chains; and (4) continue long-term, strategic R&D and education for positive environmental, economic and social sustainability impacts.

BACKGROUND: The Administration for Community Living (ACL) TBI State Partnership Program grants support states by providing funding to build capacity and infrastructure to support and maintain a system of services and supports to maximize the independence, well-being, and health of persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). A Transition and Employment (T&E) workgroup identified competencies needed by Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors (VRC) to support people with TBI to obtain and maintain employment. OBJECTIVE: To: (1) identify self-perceived VRC TBI competence and (2) inform individual state VR training activities and competency goals. METHODS: A self-assessment online survey was employed. RESULTS: A total of 269 VR professionals across four states completed the VRC Self-Assessment between December 2020 and February 2021. The T&E workgroup identified TBI competencies across four domains (1) brain injury medical and rehabilitation, (2) employment, (3) state and local systems, resources, and service coordination, and (4) national systems, research and best practice. The results by TBI competency and the overall score for all participants show that state and local systems, resources, and service coordination is the highest area of competency, placing them close to the proficient level of knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Future VR education and training opportunities may be informed by the results of this study.

ABSTRACTBackground: With the release of 2017 Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal pattern, states need to determine knowledge gaps in order to develop targeted training materials and resources to aid childcare providers in achieving new regulations. Purpose: To assess the nutrition knowledge of childcare providers in regards to the implementation of the 2017 CACFP meal pattern. Methods: Convenience sampling, where CACFP participants (n = 398) completed a self-reported survey at the annual mandatory trainings across the state of Nebraska, was employed in this study. Descriptive statistics including frequencies, means, standard deviations, independent sample t tests, and chi-square tests were used to determine differences in nutrition knowledge by geographical location, for-profit and nonprofit, and program settings. Results: Data obtained from this study indicate that CACFP participants scored low on questions regarding yogurt (30%), juice (35%), breakfast cereal (37%), and whole grain (43%) questions. Data also show that there was no significant difference in levels of knowledge among characteristics and demographics of programs, types of facilities, and geographic locations. Translation to Health Education Practice: The present study results underscore the importance for continued professional development for CACFP participating childcare providers to implement the new CACFP meal pattern for child nutrition standards.

To determine if family childcare homes (FCCH) in Nebraska meet best practices for nutrition and screen time, and if focusing on nutrition and screen time policies and practices improves the FCCH environment. A pre-post evaluation was conducted using the Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Childcare (Go NAP SACC). FCCH in Nebraska, USA. FCCH enrolled in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP; n 208) participated in a pre-post evaluation using Go NAP SACC. At baseline, all FCCH met the minimum childcare standards for fifty-four of fifty-six practices in nutrition and screen time. After the intervention, FCCH demonstrated significant improvement in fourteen of the forty-four Child Nutrition items and eleven of the twelve Screen Time items. However, FCCH providers did not meet best practices at post-intervention. Lowest scores were found in serving meals family-style, promoting visible support for healthy eating, planned nutrition education and written policy on child nutrition. For screen time, lowest scores were reported on the availability of television, offering families education on screen time and having a written policy on screen time. FCCH in Nebraska were able to strengthen their policies and practices after utilizing Go NAP SACC. Continued professional development and participation in targeted interventions may assist programmes in sustaining improved practices and policies. Considering the varying standards and policies surrounding FCCH, future studies comparing the current findings with childcare centres and non-CACFP programmes are warranted.